Los Violadores

Considered one of the most successful and influential punk rock bands both in their native Argentina and throughout Latin America, Los Violadores were formed in Buenos Aires in 1981. Born from the ashes of the underground punk band Los Testículos, the group was initially composed of Enrique “Pil Trafa” Chalar on vocals, Gustavo “Stuka” Fossá on guitar, Robert “Polaco” Zelazek on bass, and Sergio Gramática on drums. After cutting their teeth in Buenos Aires’ then-incipient punk circuit, the band dropped their eponymous studio debut in 1983, which included the anti-militarist single “Represión.” Their big breakthrough arrived in 1985 with the song “Uno, Dos, Ultraviolento,” an energetic punk rock pep talk whose lyrics were inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange. More success followed with 1986’s Fuera de Sektor, an album that flirted with post-punk and introduced them to audiences in Chile and Perú. Los Violadores issued the LPs Mercado Indio (1987), Y Que Dios Nos Perdone (1989), and Otro Festival de la Exageración (1991) before going on an indefinite hiatus in 1992. In the following years, inner tensions led to several lineup changes and subsequent breakups in 1999 and 2011. Creative differences notwithstanding, the band kept releasing albums such as Otra Patada en los Huevos (1996), Bajo un Sol Feliz (2006), and Rey o Reina (2009). In 2016, Los Violadores’ classic lineup reunited for a show at the Luna Park stadium.